International Mountain Day 2019: Date, significance and theme
Mountains, which provide 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater, also house some of the world’s poorest and hungriest inhabitants, according to UN.
Did you know that mountains cover over a quarter of the Earth’s land surface, or that they are home to almost a billion of the world’s population and a quarter of the land animals and plants? International Mountain Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 to promote sustainable development in mountains.
According to the UN, it has its roots in the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” that was adopted in 1992 as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development.
An increase in awareness regarding the importance of mountains led the UN to declare 2002 as the UN International Year of Mountains while the following year saw the observance of the first International Mountain Day on December 11.
Mountains, which provide 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater, also house some of the world’s poorest and hungriest inhabitants, according to UN. Climate change is the potent threat, it is has led to the melting of glaciers and threaten the ecosystem of the mountains, making them more vulnerable to disasters.
UN points out that around 53 per cent of the rural mountain population in developing countries are vulnerable to food insecurity.
UN proposes that to safeguard mountains and the future of Earth’s inhabitants, one needs to reduce carbon footprint.
Theme
International Mountain Day is observed each year with different themes. While in 2010 the theme was “Mountain minorities and indigenous peoples” that aimed to create awareness about indigenous peoples and minorities who live in the mountains, the theme for 2019 is “Mountains Matter for Youth.”
According to the UN, the theme attempts to highlight that for rural youth residing in the mountains, it can be hard, and subsequent migration leads to abandonment of agriculture, loss of cultural traditions and land degradation.
“Education and training, market access, diverse employment opportunities and good public services can ensure a brighter future for young people in the mountains,” UN opines
.
